Of all the biz-themed books I’ve been reading this year, I have to admit that “Lovemarks” did the least for me.

I found the style of the book the hardest element in luring me in. Whereas I’m sure a lot of visual types (or individuals with ADHD) would be drawn to how the author, Kevin Roberts (CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi), treats his text in this tome of his, I was not a fan. I found all the text over graphics and images to be a major distraction in taking home the lessons about branding that Kevin was trying to teach me. (I also wasn’t pulled in by his writing, but that’s another discussion).

So what of the take-aways….well, I did come away from reading this one with the following:

• Roberts believes that — more than anything — the world needs love. And that businesses must play a key role in making that happen.

• That whereas brands are built around the promise of quality, a set of attributes and are professional in nature, Lovemarks are about the relationship with the consumer, with an emphasis on sensuality, being wrapping in mystery and taking the form of a passionately creative individual or product.

• The three major factors to a Lovemark: mystery, sensuality and intimacy

• One element to the mystery of Lovemarks that I appreciated was the concept of storytelling. I’m big on this, given the way I try to go the extra mile for each of my wedding clients by sharing their love stories with them (and, in turn, you), so this was a great take-away to read: “Stories feed Lovemarks. They are how we explain the world to ourselves and give value to the things we love.” If storytelling can help give value to my service as a wedding photographer, I’m all for it!

• If I said Apple and Starbucks were Lovemarks, you’d get the concept, right?

• And a final passage that I did bookmark:

“There is one more thing that I believe Lovemarks need that aligns with Intimacy, empathy, and commitment. It is the intensity and rush that accompanies only the strongest emotions. Put together with Love it can transform the most insignificant product into a must-have. It has the power to give an intensity to a relationship that will carry it through good times and bad. Passion. With passion, the most difficult of objects can be achieved.”

Amen to that.

So, have any of you read Lovemarks? Thoughts on the book? My pick for October is Harry Beckwith’s “Selling the Invisible” so if you want to read it along with me, have at it and let me know in the comments!

January’s Book: Linchpin by Seth Godin

February’s Book: The Courage to Create by Rollo May

March’s Book: Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

April’s Book: Today We are Rich by Tim Sanders

May’s Book: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

June’s Book: Fine Art Wedding Photography by Jose Villa

July’s Book: VisionMonger by David duChemin

August’s Book: The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.